Belfast having a first, as £15m ‘build to rent’ apartment block plan is submitted

The first so-called ‘build to rent’ apartment scheme in Belfast has taken a huge stride in a forward direction, after plans were officially submitted for the £15m project.

The 19-storey block is set to be planned to be on a car park located on Academy Street in the Cathedral Quarter, and is being planned by Welsh developer Watkin Jones with Holywood firm Lacuna.

The full planning application has a host of new residential opportunity, with the scheme proposing 42 one-bedroom and 63 two-bedroom apartments, while there is also a cafe, a servicing area for bins and cycle storage, and a management suite all in the pipeline.

Build to rent apartments are rental only, however it does secure long-term tenancies from a landlord who ultimately retains ownership of the apartment in question.

Lacuna and Watkin Jones have worked many times in the past, and have joined forces for a number of student accommodation buildings in Belfast, while the new project itself is being designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios.